FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an example of a conventional terminal mounting structure in an electrical junction box (examples similar to the illustrated one can be found, for example, in the patent literatures PTL 1 and PTL 2).
This structure is configured to secure and connect a so-called inclined tightening preventive terminal 51 to a bus bar 44 of the electrical junction box (relay block) 42 by means of a bolt 45, the inclined tightening preventive terminal 51 being made of electrically conductive metal and bent substantially in a crank shape in plan view, and the bus bar 44 being in a shape of an electrically conductive metal plate. The electrical junction box 42 is incorporated in an automobile.
The terminal 51 includes a vertical plate portion 53 extending upward. The vertical plate portion 53 includes a rectangular opening 52 constructed to pass a head of the bolt 45 therethorough. The opening 52 communicates, via the opening 55 of the horizontal plate portion 54, with a U-shaped notched hole 56. A shaft of the bolt 45 is inserted into and passed through the notched hole 56. The horizontal plate portion 54 continues to a wire-connecting-plate portion 57 oriented downward. Right and left (a pair of) press-fit pieces 57a of the wire-connecting-plate portion 57 (partly shown) is press-fitted and connected to a conductor portion of an electric wire 58 for power supply or other purposes. Lower-side right and left (a pair of) narrow press-fit pieces 57b are press-fitted and secured to an insulating sheath of the electric wire 58. Reinforcement ribs upstand from both edges of each of the plate portions 53, 54, 57.
The electrical junction box 42 includes: a junction box body 43 made of insulating resin; a bus bar 44 arranged along the junction box body 43; a nut (not shown) arranged at a lower side of a bolt insertion hole of a horizontal plate portion (also represented by the reference sign 44) of the bus bar 44 within the junction box body, the nut being screwed onto the shaft of the bolt; a pair of partition walls 46 integrally upstanding from the junction box body 43 at both sides of the horizontal plate portion; an inlying vertical wall portion 47 connecting the pair of partition walls 46 to each other to constitute a peripheral wall which is U-shaped in plan view; and a resilient terminal locking portion 48 arranged in front of the wall portion 47.
The terminal 51 is inserted horizontally into a partition wall 46. The head of the bolt 45 in the state of provisional locking passes through an opening 52 on the front side. The shaft of the bolt 45 is inserted into the notched hole 56. The upstanding portion on the both sides of the vertical plate portion 53 is brought into locking with the locking portion 48 and the bolt 45 is brought into a state of complete fastening, and the horizontal plate portion 54 is brought into intimate connection to the horizontal portion of the bus bar 44.
In FIG. 7, the reference sign 44a indicates a vertical portion of the bus bar 44 for use in connecting a booster cable (not shown) thereto in a case where a battery is dead. The terminals 51 are arranged in two rows, the terminals belonging to one of the two rows are connected to a battery and the terminals belonging to the other of the two rows are connected to an alternator. The bus bar 44 is connected to the both terminals 51.